This book was filled with so much heart. It was more than a romantic comedy although it was downright hilarious. But it was filled with hard things and emotions and I loved it because that's what life is filled with. It was awesome to see each character step up to the plate. The messy, painful, smelly, hard but rewarding plate. I might have cried a few times.

This book is cute. It just really wasn't for me. I really wanted more on the romance but this book focused more on the kids which isn't a bad thing but it just was not what I was looking for. But what I did appreciate the most about this book were the really funny scenes and miscommunication.

I didn't realize jumping into this book that it would be hitting so close to home, so I can actually appreciate on a deeper level than most that this book got a lot of things right that usually get portrayed in very wrong and even negative ways.

One, this book addresses the issue of a woman who doesn't want kids and couldn't have them even if she wanted to. As a woman who also never wanted to have kids, I know firsthand what havoc this one little detail can have on a young person's dating life. Who knew, right? Because the vast majority of women (apparently) have this natural, biological drive to want to have kids. Not everybody feels that way. Myself included.

So it went even a step further in being a little too relatable for me when Cassie takes on 3 children from the foster care system, a teen she knew from her job and the teen's two young siblings. At the same time, Jett, the guy who she's just started to kind of almost date who also didn't want kids is awarded custody of his sister's 3 children. This is something I also have personal experience with and can relate to, having been awarded permanent custody of my own nephew several years ago.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was that it didn't villainize the child welfare social worker. For once! This also hits close to home for anyone who knows me and knows what I do for a living, my career, my life's work. Finally! A book that addresses foster care in a pretty realistic way!

This was a fun, sweet and clean romance. It was a quick read, and I think would be enjoyed by lovers of rom-com and even Christian romance, though it never explicitly talks about a specific religion or anything. I think those who enjoy Christian romance would easily enjoy this book.

I started out really enjoying this book but found that as I read on I started to lose interest. The idea of this book sounded very appealing but I don’t feel it was executed quite right. I didn’t feel like there was much chemistry between Cassie and Jett and by the end found that I didn’t really care if they ended up together or not.

Melissa Ferguson’s debut The Dating Charade is a delight. It easily lived up to my expectations—and more. If you are looking for a rom-com with some serious heart, this is the book for you.

Thanks to the joys of online dating, Cassie Everson has lost faith that she will find her person. Firefighter Jett Bentley has the potential to surprise her—but when each takes charge of three children, doubt colors their possibilities for the future. Will Cassie and Jett accept these changes in circumstances, or must they go it alone?

With a connection from the past, Cassie and Jett make a believable couple caught in a web of uncertainties and new romance. I had fun guessing at how they would navigate both the comical moments and the more complicated ones. And as they figure it out, their story proves heartwarming and sweet and oh so wonderful. I will definitely be revisiting this book in the future.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Cassie Everson has been on so many bad first dates that she is ready to throw in the towel altogether for dating. However, her kids at the after-school center where she works force her to give dating one last try, and her online profile catches the eye of Jett Bentley. Jett remembers Cassie as the unreachable girl of his dreams in high school, and he can't resist reaching out to her. After a great first date, both go home and unexpectedly have three kids dropped into their laps. Both decide the best thing to do is to hide the kids while continuing to date. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a romantic comedy that put the emphasis on comedy while also highlighting some serious issues. This was cute, but I felt like we didn't get to see much of Cassie's and Jett's relationship. Just based on the title of the book, I would have expected more. I wish we could give half stars in our ratings because this book is a solid 3.5 stars.

Jett had a crush on Cassie in high school but she didn’t know he existed. Now that they are all grown up, she’s noticing this handsome firefighter and after a couple dates is pretty sure he could be “the one”. Then, life gets crazy when Cassie becomes foster mom to 3 kids and unbeknownst to her Jett finds himself in the same situation.

I was worried that this plot would be too contrived but the author managed to make this book fun, believable and original. The characters were very likable but not perfect. There were serious issues such as addiction and child neglect that were dealt with but it never became depressing because there was a seam of hope running through the entire story. This is every bit as good as a Debbie Macomber novel and I will look for future works by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this for review.

Melissa Ferguson challenges her readers in areas and gives hope of growth and life in others. A new and intriguing way to look at life.

The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson is a delightful book from beginning to end. This book is so much more than a rom-com. It has a wonderful theme about blended families and fostering/caring for children in the midst of falling in love. I loved the scenarios the author created and the book overall was just fantastic. I highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

The Dating Charade was different than I expected. From the summary, I expected a light-hearted romcom that would make me laugh out loud. I didn't get that - but this book did cover some interesting topics that most romance books don't cover. I enjoyed that it wasn't always a "feel-good fairy tale" and that the subjects felt real. Even though it wasn't exactly what I expected, the story was still heart-warming.

This is a perfect beach book. I loved every minute of engrossing prose. Enjoyable and worth a trip in your beach bag.

Thanks so much to the author and Thomas Nelson publishing for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my full reviews can be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW : fertility issues, adoption, displacement of children, mention of addiction

When I first picked up The Dating Charade, it seemed like it would be a fairly typical light and fun second chance romance. And while it still is that type of story, along with moments both heartfelt and humorous, it also tackles some really difficult topics that I didn't necessarily know about going in on my first read. I really enjoyed the fact that this book brought some of these topics in to the story in a fairly positive (as positive as can be expected) way - having people in these situations finding a really positive resolution or being placed in a much better situation, rather than showing the negative situation as a complete downfall of the person or something that they can't recover from.

Looking at characters, I really enjoyed our two main leads. They were written in a fairly realistic manner, and they were both extremely likable, while also being sassy and providing some really fun banter back and forth between the two of them. I also really loved the cast of secondary characters in this book - especially looking at the best friends of the characters, the children that they each look after, and the two incredibly feisty women that watch the relationship from the outside (but provide some really fun commentary as the story progresses).

For the romance itself, I did really enjoy watching these two people falling in love. For the most part I thought that the romance (when it only involved the two of them) was pretty realistic, and I always really love a sweet second chance romance. Especially when it involves the banter that I mentioned earlier! The sassy, joking side of a relationship is something that I always love to see, because that is a part of my relationships that has always been a favorite of mine. Now all of that being said, my least favorite part of the romance was brought on by the main "conflict" of the story line - both of the main characters end up taking multiple children into their care, although both for different reasons. And since the relationship is so new (and based on conversations that they had previously had) neither of them decide to share that information with the other. From a storytelling stand point, I totally understand why this choice was made. It adds the little bit of drama, as well as the sneaking-around feeling that you might get from a zany comedy, or people running in and out of doors during a Scooby Doo chase scene. So I do not at all blame this choice on the author, or think that it shouldn't have been made, it just led to a few moments in the timeline and story of the romance that I personally could have done without.

All of that being said, I really did over all enjoy this book and was very glad that I got to read it. And I really loved the happy ending that the characters reached! There were only one or two speed bumps for me personally along the way. I would recommend this book to my friends who are wanting a bit of a romantic comedy with some really serious moments to tug on the heartstrings.

The Dating Charade is definitely something I could see as a TV show or movie in the near future. It was at times, predictable, and at other times, frustrating due to the lack of communication by the adults in the situations they were in.

Cassie runs a youth center in the town where she grew up. She enjoys a fantastic relationship with all of the kids who come in there and, of course, knows a lot of people in town. Jett is a local firefighter who is sweet on Cassie. He has known her since high school and finally gets up the nerve to ask her out. Just like in the movies, fate steps in and each of them end up with mini-families of their own. Hilarity ensues when Cassie and Jett try to keep their situations a secret from each other. As a reader, it became more of a frustration, as I didn’t see why they couldn’t just be adults and talk about it.

I don’t want to spoil the ending. All I can really say is that it was an okay read. I wanted to finish it, which says a lot, considering the number of options available to read nowadays.

This is a story about never giving up,  and following your heart - even if it leads you in a direction you didn't expect. It also carries the message that you don't have to be biological parents in order to give children the love they need. 

Cassie and Jett fit together perfectly, but their respective circumstances get in the way. The journey  of their relationship is the bedrock of the book and keeps you turning the pages.

Of course, the children (all of them) are the stars of the show.

Y’all, I swear I’m not against Christian Romance/Fiction, but this was the second book in a row that felt completely unrealistic. I loved the beginning, and I really l loved that Cassie and Jett played basketball together. What I couldn’t buy? That they both become de facto parents for 3 children and then choose not to tell the other. And also, what did the title have to do with the book? Not. A. Thing.
I received an ARC of The Dating Charade from @netgalley. I listened to this on audiobook via Hoopla.

Oh how I wish I liked this novel more. Especially because there wasn't anything specifically 'bad' about it. There was no true conflict or drama. Nothing to really make you fall in love with the characters or story. It was meh.

This was a sweet romance. If a Christian book detours you, don’t let it. This one was cute and sheds adoptions in a positive light. There was more depth to the story than romance, but I enjoyed it.

This book came out back in December, and it's been on my list since then. The Dating Charade is Melissa's first novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

It's about Cassie and Jett, two people who don't want kids. When they meet, it's not quite love-at-first-sight, but almost. Things seem like they're moving in a good direction.

Then, Cassie becomes foster mom to three kids, and Jett becomes guardian for his niece and two nephews. Instead of being upfront and honest about these life changes, Cassie and Jett hide their new families from each other.

It's funny to read about two people who have no experience with kids suddenly become parents. As a parent, I loved the scenes with Jett trying to figure out exactly what he was doing. And Cassie's fumbles are just as real.

I thought this was such a great book, and really different that other stuff I've read before. 

But, I had one issue. Calling this a charade is cute. But really, Cassie and Jett lied to each other. Repeatedly. 

While I overall loved this book, the lies were annoying to me. However, I did think Melissa made a good point that their relationship could only move forward when they were honest.

Melissa seems like an author I'm really going to enjoy! I've already checked to find that her next book is coming out this fall! I definitely won't wait four months before reading it!

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I tried but could not connect with this romance novel. I will not be reading it.

I really enjoyed this book, it's a lighthearted read that I finished in an afternoon. The characters were fun and it was a great way to escape for a while.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.